WNBA Playoffs: Lynx end seven-game home loss to Sun, evening series at 1-1

After seven straight home defeats against the Connecticut Sun, including an opening loss on Sunday, the Minnesota Lynx have found their recipe for success. And even more.

The Lynx won convincingly on Tuesday, defeating the Sun 77-70 to even their WNBA semifinal series at 1-1 as the series heads to Connecticut.

In a matchup between the WNBA's two best defensive teams, it was Minnesota that wiped out the competition. The Lynx held the Sun to 36.4% shooting with 12 turnovers. No player was more valuable than WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier, who finished the game with nine points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and one steal.

On offense, it was a group effort with Courtney Williams leading the way with 17 points. Every Lynx player who played scored at least four points. Alyssa Thomas was once again the Sun's star with 18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.

The Lynx's win was likely welcome news for the WNBA, which has seen every first-round series end in a victory. The Sun's Game 1 victory was their first road win of the entire postseason, but the league was probably more concerned about another possible win, especially after the New York Liberty defeated the Las Vegas Aces hours earlier to take a 2-0 lead .

The game didn't start at a brisk pace. The two teams combined to miss their first 14 shots from the field, with the first shot coming on a layup by Williams three minutes and 38 seconds into the game. The dam didn't break here either, as at the end of the first quarter the score was 12-10 for the Lynx.

Instead, the Lynx steadily increased their lead, going from two early in the second quarter to four midway through to six at the end. They finally got the run they needed after halftime and scored the first seven points of the third quarter, giving them a double-digit lead.

The fourth quarter didn't go entirely smoothly. The Sun cut the lead to single digits for much of the second half, which would have been considered a nail-biter if a few plays had ended differently. Chants of “Our House” rang out as the Lynx’s home loss to the Sun was finally over.

The Lynx and Sun play Game 3 on Friday in Connecticut (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).